INTERCULTURAL DESIGN | EVERYDAY DESIGN

7 Feb 2025 - 21 March 2025 ( Week 1 - Week 7 )

Hsu Myat Wati | 0381660 | Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Intercultural Design | Taylor's University

Table of contents

1. LECTURES

Culture & Design

Introduction

We live in a world where images are a major part of communication. Visuals are powerful tools that influence our understanding of various topics. Designers need to think carefully about why they use certain visuals and how they design them.

Understanding Visual Culture

What is Visual Culture?: It includes everything we can see, like nature, but it becomes part of culture when we attach meaning to it.
Human-Made Visuals: These are created to represent ideas, serve a purpose, or communicate messages.

Examples of Cultural Visuals

Sailor Tattoos: These tattoos tell stories about a sailor's journeys and experiences at sea.
Japanese Tattoos: Traditionally, these tattoos have represented a person's status, spiritual beliefs, protection, and devotion.

The Importance of Cultural Awareness in Design

Designers need to understand cultural differences, symbols, and contexts to create inclusive designs that resonate with diverse audiences.

Design Significance

Design is influenced by social, cultural, and political factors. We can break down its significance into three parts:

Artifacts & Products: These are physical items that represent culture.
Norms & Values: The societal expectations and meanings behind designs.
Basic Assumptions: These are the core beliefs that shape design choices.

Design System Breakdown & Expansion

Basic Assumptions: These relate to the cultural functions and purposes of designs. For example, the ladybug symbolizes luck differently in Western and Japanese cultures.
Norms & Values: This includes the design language, aesthetics, and principles.
Artifacts & Products: This involves how cultural meanings are implemented in design.

Case Study: Petronas CNY Money Packet (2018)

Analyzing the cultural functions behind festive money packets.
Exploring the significance of colors in Chinese culture.
Identifying potential issues in design choices, such as misrepresenting traditions.

Cultural Sensitivity in Design

Cultural sensitivity is about more than just how things look; it also involves how well they work and how users experience them.

Key factors to consider include:

Symbolism & Imagery: Avoiding misunderstandings of cultural symbols.
Color Considerations: Recognizing that colors can have different meanings in different cultures.
Typography & Language: Choosing the right fonts and ensuring accurate translations.

Addressing Cultural Sensitivity

Inclusive Design: Making sure designs are accessible to people from various cultural backgrounds.
User Research: Conducting studies to understand how different users behave.
Localization: Adapting designs to fit specific cultural contexts.
Cultural Awareness Training: Educating design teams about different cultural perspectives.

2. INSTRUCTIONS

MIB Feb 2025:

3. CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT - EVERYDAY DESIGN

PROJECT 1 - ( Proposal )

Week 1 - Group formation & initial research

We had our very first physical lecture on intercultural design. We learned about the relationship between "Culture & Design."

Fig 3.1 - Lecture slide from week 1 ( Week 1 | 7 Feb 2025 )

We successfully formed our group and began researching potential topics for our assignment. Through online meetings, we gained a clearer understanding of our direction. We also discussed our idea of Bento Boxes with our lecturer to explore its relevance to everyday design.

Week 2 - Everyday Design & KL Design Festival

What is Everyday Design?

Everyday design refers to the subtle yet essential design elements integrated into daily life.

Fig 3.2 - A special session with our guest lecturer ( Week 2 | 14 Feb 2025 )

We also discussed our idea of "Bento Boxes" with our lecturer to explore its relevance to everyday design.

Week 3 - Consultation Week

This week, Mr. Asrizal conducted a Q&A session regarding Task 1 submission. We also consulted our appointed lecturer, Dr. Charles, to receive feedback on our problem statement and research objectives. We started drafting our project proposal and clarified key aspects of our research during class discussions with our lecturer.

Fig 3.3 - Finalized idea for proposal ( Week 3 | 21 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.4 - Problem statement ( Week 3 | 21 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.5 - Research questions & objectives ( Week 3 | 21 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.6 - Proposal presentation ( Week 3 | 21 Feb 2025 )
Task 1 - Project Proposal Slide

PROJECT 2 - ( Field Study)

Week 4 - Data Collection Week

We developed surveys, questionnaires, and interview questions, conducted secondary research, and identified potential interview candidates working in Japan.

Fig 3.7 - Data collection methods ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.8 - Surveys & Interviews ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.9 - Secondary research ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.10 - Secondary research ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.11 - Secondary research ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.12 - Secondary research ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )

Fig 3.13 - Field study presentation ( Week 4 | 28 Feb 2025 )
Task 2 - Field Study Slide

Final Assessment - Final Project & Portfolio

Week 5 - Content Development

We began sourcing materials for recording and brainstorming content ideas for our TikTok videos.

Content planning ( Week 5 | 7 March 2025 )

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18UJk82yfrrl585D5h7SVWqWJFqRw4v9W/view?usp=sharing

Week 6 - Self-Directed Week

We had no lecture class this week. So, we went to the university to gather ideas and decide on our next steps. To streamline our work, we divided into three groups, each focusing on a different aspect of our project. One group visited various convenience stores to research and gather insights. The second group focused on home-cooked bento meals, supermarkets, and convenience stores in Japan. Meanwhile, the third group worked on scriptwriting for the videos.

Week 7 - Final Week

In our final week for this module, we focused on completing our videos and finalizing the editing process. With all our research and preparation done, we ensured that everything was ready for submission. This marked the conclusion of our project, bringing together all the work we had done over the past weeks.

Our Tiktok page - https://www.tiktok.com/@zentobento25?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

4. FEEDBACKS

Week 1

How does kitchenware relate to everyday design and culture?
What is everyday design in Japanese culture?

Week 2

What does the consumer want with bento boxes?
Understand why they abandoned it for others.
What do users want to enjoy with the bento boxes concept as an everyday design?
Add specifics in the problem statement like time issues, convenience, cost, enjoyability, promotional aspects, and visibility?

Focus on research and observation, not just production.

Use instant noodles as an example of everyday design.
1 idea = 3 sketches, focusing on ideation rather than just product concepts.

Week 3

The sketches seem a bit complicated. Suggest to come up with straightforward design solutions and try sketching again.

Ensure the bento box design is functional and convenient,

especially for the Japanese working-class
Compare new vs. old bento box designs based on user feedback.
Refine the problem statement and research objective.
Reword the research question and objective based on feedback.
Sketches need to be more visually appealing.

Week 5

Multiple videos can be used (e.g., documentary format with interviews)

Japanese aesthetics (e.g., floral designs) can add value.
Transitional designs (e.g., a matcha bowl transforming into a bathtub, water bottle, or rice cooker) are acceptable.

5. REFLECTIONS

It was a wholesome journey to complete the 7 weeks of this module. Firstly, I realized how crucial it is to keep 'culture' in mind when creating an effective design. Then, when we started doing research about 'Everyday design' as a group, I was surprised how every little thing that surrounded us turned out to be a form of design. At first, I thought it might be challenging to find the right topic for this task. After consulting with our assigned lecturer and getting feedback from him, I found out that 'Everyday design' can be anything. The Q&A sections are also beneficial for us to learn from other groups and the way they think about the topic.

I learned quite a lot working through each task together with my group members. Since all six of us are from different majors, I got a lot of knowledge from different backgrounds and each of their perspectives. It was fascinating to brainstorm and come up with interesting ideas together. Following the lead of our amazing leader, each task was successfully organized and completed in the best way possible. She was very generous in guiding us along the way and always kept in touch with our assigned lecturer. Also, I discussed a lot with my group mate 'Akari' since we are from the same course and live in the same dorm. Since she is the only Japanese member in our group, I learned a lot about Japanese history and culture for our project.

Throughout the whole journey, I made mistakes, learned from them, and improved my skills. In task 1, I take the role of sketching out one of our ideas. It took me three attempts to finally come up with the perfect sketch. I acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses upon refining my sketch again and again. In the past, I used to draw complicated sketches without considering the culture and efficiency of my designs. Listening to our lecturer's feedback and suggestions, it opens my eyes to think creatively in a more efficient way.

During data collection week, Akari and I go grocery shopping together and film the preparation of the bento box together. It was such a fun experience to put our studies into practical experiments and wander around the city to explore with my friend. This experiment made me understand the outcome of our data collection even more precisely. Finally, editing the final TikTok videos, and looking through the different clips from all of our members was valuable. Having to create a summary presentation of every task made us remember each step we took along the way to complete the whole module.

6. QUICKLINKS

Intercultural Design | Everyday Design

Label: Intercultural Design

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Hsu Myat Wati ( 0381660 )